Lesson 4 - Introduction (excerpt)

The principles we now will survey are probably the key points to the progression of our growth in Christ and the maturing process of sobriety. These principles place the faith that has developed within our hearts, whether great or small, in the spotlight for all to see.

Because of the completion of the first four principles, there is a newly-developed desire to obey the will of God. Our zeal for this new life has manifested within us as a result of having received this gift from our heavenly Father by grace through faith. It has begun to bubble to the top of us and is now running over. We now have a deeper understanding of the love that God has for us, as well as a stronger desire for the freedom that results from our obedience to His Word. We now see through the eyes of our heart the hope, faith, and promises that are stated in God’s Word and these principles. As a result of the fulfilled promises and the manifestation of fruit that has been born into our lives, we now trust in Him and endeavor to complete the remaining principles that follow.

The next three principles deal with the foundation and truth that the forgiveness of God causes to manifest within us as we grow, mature, and practice the God-directed changes in our lives. They deal mainly with the area of forgiveness and the beginning process of the desire to reconcile. There is so much misinformation dispersed about forgiveness that we need to begin with a basic foundation.